Nature Notes.

We have lots of nature in France! The days are full of birdsong, and the nights are now full of the sound of the frogs in our local pond. Frogs are a bit like sheep, in that they all have a particular croak, just as sheep all have a particular baa! And, I suppose, like we all have different voices. Anyway, the masons have been particularly noisy recently, bashing and sawing blocks to repair the main entrance to the second gite. Just inside the doorway, only about 4 feet off the ground, Mrs Redstart has built her nest and is busy sitting on five eggs. She gets a bit fed up with grubby builders shouting and hammering, and sometimes leaves the nest, but always returns when things are a bit more quiet.

I came downstairs yesterday to find an unusual guest on the kitchen table. It was the biggest moth I have ever seen and seemed to want to be photographed, as it stayed in the same place all day. The French call moths the “butterflies of the night” and this one is the Great Peacock, the biggest moth in Europe. What a beauty!

We had another overnight visitor as well. The swallows have been understandably confused by all the building changes, and their usual nest sites have been disturbed. This one must have flown all through the house before spending the night on the lounge curtains. Luckily no calling cards were left!